The Arts of Japan

Yorobōshi

弱法師

Shimomura, Kanzan1915

Inspired by a Noh play of the same name, the painting depicts a blind man named Shuntokumaru praying under plum blossoms with the setting sun in the distance. The scene, set in the garden of Shitennō-ji in Osaka, spans four meters across two six-panel folding screens. Unveiled at the second Inten exhibition in 1915, Yorobōshi was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1967.

Details

Title

弱法師

Yorobōshi

Date
1915
Period
Taishō Era (1912–1926)
Medium
Color on silk,
Folding screen
Width
4070 mm
Height
1875 mm
Collection
Tokyo National Museum